Contemplation and Reunion
by Han dj
Summary: My own sequel to Darkbluemint's Departure. So read that first before reading this. Thanks


A/N: This one shot is my take on Darkbluemint's story Departure. This is actually how I'm going to write a sequel to that story. So to those who have not read mint-san's one shot, please read it first so you could grasp the idea behind this one shot.

Disclaimer: I got permission from mint-san, Arigato gozaimas. As usual I do not own Mai-HiME, not even the idea of this story...I'm corrected, the story was dedicated to heart-san but the idea was mint-san's own. Again, Arigato mint-san!

Rated K

Contemplation and Reunion

_I can't seem to understand what is happening around me, all I know is that everything inside me hurts, my muscles, my bones, my head...everything hurts, but what hurts me most, that one part of my body that hurts badly that I wished very hard to just die is my heart. I never thought that the __**thing **__I've dreaded for almost my entire life happened to me...again_

_Abandoned..._

_What is my reason to live now? My mother died, my father left me...and then, when I thought everything was running smoothly...she left me...my most important person left. And it was all my fault. Me and my cowardice..._

KUGAKUGA

"Don't leave me Shizuru..." Natsuki Kuga whispered, she was on her knees as she watched the chestnut haired woman boarded a cab...the cab that took away her chance of happiness _was it the cab's fault? It should have been Shizuru's fault, she said she loved me and yet she'd left me...no, if there's anyone to be blamed it should have been me. Shizuru was just another girl, like me who can feel dejected and who can be hurt..., _"You're an IDIOT! You have your only escape to this lonely world at the palm of your hands and you threw her away! Natsuki no Baka! Baka!" She berated herself, stream of tears flowed out of her eyes, "Why can't you just accept the truth that you're in love with her, that without her you're nothing Kuga? Why?!"

The blue haired girl spent her entire day weeping herself to sleep

KUGAKUGA

Busy tone...

Another sound of redialing phone

Busy tone...

And another sound of redialing phone

Busy tone...

"Who are you trying to call Natsuki?" Mai asked while she massaged Mikoto's head. The youngest HiME was lying on the couch, her head resting on Mai's lap. On the floor was Nao and Shiho who were both playing a car racing game using Mai's large screened TV

"Who else will that puppy call? I myself can't believe that despite all the things that Fujino did, this thick skulled woman let her go." Nao said with a trace of anger in her voice, "She destroyed that damn First District for you! She killed for you and what did she get in return? Nothing!" Nao, Shiho and Mai expects an oncoming brawl or at least, they expect something to be thrown at Nao for her tirade...but nothing like that came, instead...

Shiho looked up at the blue haired girl sitting at the single couch, Munakata's eyes widened when she saw Natsuki's eyes wet with tears, the phone was still in her ears, "Kuga-san?"

Nao and Mai looked at Natsuki's way too and they too sported the same expression of bewilderment

"She's not answering the phone, it's busy...she hates me that much now isn't it?" Natsuki asked in a trembling voice, "I can't even reason out to her to come back right? I did made an idiot out of myself didn't I?"

"Natsuki..." Mai said

"It's been two weeks since I started reaching out to her, but it seemed she really doesn't want to hear me." Natsuki said now with a blank expression on her face, she was talking to no one in particular...as if she was talking to an imaginary human. Then she stood up and started walking towards the door

"Oi!" Nao shouted at the retreating bluenette, "Where the hell are you going KUGA?!"

No answer, Natsuki continued her advancing movement

"Natsuki!" Mai called out that caused Mikoto to be startled awake from her dreamless sleep, "NATSUKI!" Mai yelled as the blue haired girl finally disappeared from their sight

"This is bad!" Nao said then she puts down the game's controller and hurriedly stood up to follow Natsuki, "Shiho, Mai, I'll follow Kuga. I don't know what she's thinking right now and I don't think we'll like what she's going to do,"

"Okay Nao, I'll make sure to follow once Mikoto here is settled already." She said looking at the newly awakened HiME

"Okay." Nao was about to go out...

"Nao, I'm coming with you!" Shiho said as she run towards the red headed girl

"Okay, but don't you complain when we have to run long!"

"I won't promise!" the pink, octopus haired girl said as she tagged along Nao

_Kuga...don't you dare do something stupid!_ And her contemplation was not rewarded as she saw the blue haired girl rode her bike...without the proper get up, and the proper get up includes...presence of mind, "KUGA!!"

FUJINOFUJINO

_I can't believe I did this...Natsuki...why can't you leave me alone? I left you and yet your face is all I see everywhere I go, I associate everything I see, smell, hear, taste with you? What have I done to be imprisoned like this? Why do I love you so Natsuki?_

_I know I've hurt you when I left that day, but do you know that it hurts me more to leave you like that? To force myself to walked away while I hear you scream for me, call for my name? How it hurt me to hear you say you love me despite the real reason why you'd say it. I almost wanted to break down on your arms when you said you love me because I've always wanted to hear you say it...but no, I have to be strong. I have to free myself from you_

_And yet...despite how far I am, you're still the one inside my heart and head._

FUJINOFUJINO

"You know you've been sulking all day?" Fujino Ayate asked her daughter. The crimson eyed, chestnut haired ex-kaichou was inside her room, lying on her bed, "If I may make a guess, you are doing what you're doing right now because of someone who must be very dear to you?" she asked in addition to her first unanswered question

"Mama, I can't understand Ru-chan, she comes here as if she hasn't been gone for years and then she'll spend her days inside her room. What kind of a problem is she into now?" Fujino Shizuka asked her mother. She was standing at the entrance of Shizuru's room while her mother was now sitting at her younger sister's bed

"I'm not into any trouble nee-chan." Shizuru replied

"Then why are you acting this way? Who is this special someone?" Ayate asked once again, the question caused Shizuru to winced and looked at her mother seriously

"No one."

Silence

"The last time I suffered like that? I was having a fall-out with my ex-boyfriend. But I know you Ru-chan, you don't dig boyfriend, so pray tell who's this girl?" Shizuka asked in an intimidating voice. Her light chestnut hair swaying as her head swayed to the side, her light crimson orbs focused on her little sister, "Tell us Ru-chan! We won't be able to help you if you're acting like that!"

_Should I tell them about Natsuki? Should I tell the story of how I took the innocence of the one I truly love and then how I went berserk, killing any first district dogs that were on my way?_

"No one." I said with finality

A sigh from both women were the only sounds Shizuru heard as a response to her answer

"Okay, you win this time Ru-chan. But don't think that I'll stop from here, if I have to drag 'tousan into this mess I will. We will not stand by doing nothing while we watch you spent away your life...uselessly." Shizuka said before she turned around and leave

Shizuru looked at her mother with sad eyes. Ayate stood up from the bed, stepped closer to her daughter and kissed Shizuru's forehead before she said "good night" and left. Once alone, Shizuru's eyes focused on her mobile phone which she kept off the entire two weeks. She contemplated if she should call Natsuki and try to tell her to just move on and forget about her. She took the discarded machine, turned it on and flipped it open, she was about to dial a set of numbers but stopped, _no I can't call her, she'll just think that she could persuade me to coming back to Fuuka, I can't do that right now...no I can't go back there ever. _

She was about to close the phone when it suddenly rang. Reading the number that flash on its screen, she frowned. It wasn't Natsuki's number nor Mai. It wasn't even from Kanzaki, the number on her screen was unknown to her which means the caller is someone she doesn't know...or if she knows the caller, then someone she's not close to.

"Moshi-mosh," she greeted to answer the phone

"_You need to go back!" _the voice on the other end said. From the tone and caliber of voice, Shizuru was sure that the one she's speaking to is no other than Yuuki Nao

"And why should I do that Nao-san?"

"_So that at least you can say your last good bye to Kuga."_ Last goodbye? Suddenly, a loud thumping in her chest can be heard. It wasn't her heart beating due to an excited state but the quality of her heart's beat tells her something scary...something she doesn't want to think about,

"Whatever you mean by it Nao-san?"

"_That idiot Kuga rode her bike despite her not feeling good, her bike fell off a cliff when she tried to avoid hitting a crossing woman on the street. That idiot woman should not be crossing that high way!" _From Nao's voice, the red headed HiME was not telling any joke, she sounded troubled and scared. _"Mai is with me, and Shiho too, we are waiting here at the hospital's waiting room. Kuga was taken inside the operating room for an emergency...wait," _she heard Nao asking one person loudly, probably a nurse

"Nao-san, where..." Shizuru was bolted out of her bed from the information and was now pacing back and forth

"_...yeah, the nurse said it is called emergency laparotomy? Something like that. Anyways we called Midori and Yohko sensei to come. I think Fumi-san is also coming here as well as Kanzaki-san." _silence, _"I just wanted to tell you, just in case Natsuki can't make it, at least you know. So if you still have a heart in that chest of yours, I do hope you could at least see her one last time."_

"Where are you?" Shizuru asked, her voice now trembling

"_Oh, Fuuka Medical, she's been inside the operating room for exactly 3 hours now. Got to go now...I think I can see Kanzaki-_san _with food_." the red headed HiME turned off the phone before Shizuru could even say anything further

"Natsuki..." _did I just do this to her? When in fact I gained Kiyohime to protect her, it is I who brought her to her death? No... _"Natsuki...wait for me, please..." she whispered as tears fell down her eyes. She hurriedly ran out of her room to seek for that one person who could help her now, "NEE-CHAN!"

The older Fujino heiress was waiting at the foot of their gallant staircase looking up at her bounding sister, "What the hell happened to you? One minute you were as cold as ice and now I see you crying..."

"No need to explain nee-chan, please drive me back to Fuuka! I need to be there now!" Shizuru said as she pulled her sister with her

"What? Why?"

"No need to explain, Natsuki is in critical condition and it's all my fault! Please!" she said crying, she doesn't care if her sister will tease her after all this, but she have to be there, she need to tell Natsuki that she have to live because there's no point in her living if Natsuki's dead. She have to tell Natsuki that she is still and will always be in love with her, that she'll be willing to wait even if takes forever, "Nee-chan, please?"

Silence

"You owe me big time!" Shizuka said, "We'll not use the car, it'll take us forever to get to Fuuka that way. If you have to say your last goodbye to that Natsuki you were telling me, then we need a faster ride."

Shizuru embraced her older sister, "Thank you nee-chan."

HiMEHiME

The helicopter of the Fujino Corp landed on the hospital's heliport. Shizuru and her sister Shizuka boarded off it as it turned off it's engine

"Will I be waiting for you so you can come back with me to Kyoto?" she asked and smiled when her little sister shook her head no, "Come on, I'd like to meet this Natsuki too."

The two chestnut haired women traverse the corridors to the waiting room. Once there, they were greeted by a crying Mai and Shiho. Mikoto was silently waiting at a chair by the room's corner. Nao, Fumi and Midori were entertaining the others while Yohko was talking to a doctor in an all green scrub suit, a surgical cap on his head and surgical mask that was dangling on his chin via its string on his ear. Yohko looked at Shizuru smiling and motioned for her to come

"Doctor Yu, this is Fujino Shizuru, she's the patient's companion," Yohko introduced her. The younger chestnut haired woman bowed her head as a greeting, then she introduced to the doctor her sister.

"We were glad that aside from a slightly injured liver and spleen, there was no more complications to her. We did a CT scan of the head and we are happy to say that there was no hemorrhage. Aside from a slight contusion and minimal concussion, the patient's head is clear. So we'll just wait for her to regain consciousness from the Recovery Room and in about 4 hours we'll take her to a regular room."

The news at least relieved Shizuru's worry _hang on Natsuki...please..._

Fumi was about to go out to secure a room for Natsuki when Shizuka hurriedly ran towards her to accompany her in taking a room.

HiMEHiME

Four hours have passed, the HiMEs were waiting inside the room anxiously. Shizuru was pacing back and forth when there was a knock on the door. It opened to reveal an aide pulling a gurney inside. Everyone inside the room gathered on the large receiving area as they looked on the still 'high on drug' Kuga Natsuki

"Is this still the effect of the anesthesia?" Natsuki groggily asked as she tried to raise one hand to point a finger on Shizuru, "I'm still hallucinating about Shizuru being here!" she said hoarsely, "Can I sip water? My throat is parched." she said

"Can she?" Shizuru said catching Natsuki's attention

"And my hallucination can speak now!" she said as she tried to laugh but winced as her abdominal wound stretched out causing her pain, "Idiot!" she said, "I really need water." she said trying to stand

"NOOOO!" everyone in the room screamed and they were all reaching out to Natsuki to stop doing that

Natsuki fell on the gurney again

"I guess we better hurry and shift her to her bed. Will someone stay here to look after her?" one of the aides asked, "We had quite a problem with her inside the recovery room, she tried to sit up and jump out of the bed."

"I'll be staying to look after her." Shizuru said

Natsuki was finally shifted to her bed, but her head was turned to where Shizuru is. Then her eyes focused on Shizuka, "Two Shizurus, the drug they gave me was really potent." she said before she closed her eyes, "Water..."

HiMEHiME

After Natsuki was settled and when the patient dozed off, everyone in the room left. Shizuka offered to give everyone a ride to their helicopter which made Mikoto very happy. Once it quieted down, Shizuru stepped closer to Natsuki's bed side

"Kanin na Natsuki..." she said after she settled herself on a chair beside Natsuki's bed. Her hand was placed over Natsuki's hands without the IV and her crimson orbs were focused on Natsuki's pale face, "I'm sorry for leaving you. I know you've felt abandoned once again, I know how you must felt that day when I said I need to move on and let go of you." Shizuru began crying as she wasn't able to contain all the pent-up emotions as soon as she arrived at the hospital. "I guess I wasn't that strong a person as you've thought of me before, I let you down. I thought I've protected you enough but instead, it was me who brought you into this situation. You could have died and it's because of me. Will my Natsuki forgive me?" Shizuru cried harder, "If after this ordeal, my Natsuki decided to not want to see me again, I'll be glad to obey. I never want to cause Natsuki grief..."

"Then don't ever leave me again."

HiMEHiME

_Where am I? I remember falling, then waking up inside a hospital...hospital, Shizuru, I think I saw two Shizurus before I was lulled into sleep. _Natsuki slowly opened her eyes, and while her vision cleared from her sleep infested eyes, her hearing cleared as well...then that's when she heard her Shizuru's voice

"...I wasn't that strong a person as you've thought of me before, I let you down. I thought I've protected you enough but instead, it was me who brought you into this situation. You could have died and it's because of me. Will my Natsuki forgive me?"

_Shizuru..._ she looked at the woman by her bedside and tears began to leaked out of her eyes, _and I thought that it has dried already from 2 weeks of crying, It is I who should be asking for your forgiveness_

"If after this ordeal, my Natsuki decided to not want to see me again, I'll be glad to obey. I never want to cause Natsuki grief..."

_What are you talking about? if you leave me then I'll surely die Shizuru, _"Then don't ever leave me again." Natsuki said in her trembling voice, "Baka Shizuru, you should not say sorry..."

"Natsuki..."

"I should be the one to say I'm sorry for causing you all these grief. I was the one who drove you away, so it was my fault that this happened to me, please don't..."

"Natsuki!" Shizuru stood up and hugged the injured woman, being careful to not to put any pressure on her operated abdomen

_I can feel her...this Shizuru isn't a hallucination...this Shizuru is real..._ "Shizuru, you're really here?" Natsuki said while crying

"Yes, Yuuki called me and I can't let you die on me, so I have to be here Natsuki!" she said. Shizuru felt Natsuki's arms rose up and encircled her body

"Shizuru! I really am talking to the real Shizuru!" Natsuki sobbed, "I thought I was still hallucinating, I've been talking to a fake Shizuru for two weeks. Please, don't ever leave me again Shizuru, please!"

"Kami, I won't ever leave my Natsuki again, I promise you that." Shizuru said as she kept on embracing the younger woman in her arms, "I love you Natsuki, I still and will love you always, and I'm willing to wait even if..."

"But I don't like to wait anymore," Natsuki sobbed her reply, "I've been waiting for my feelings to not scare me, but it scared me more when you left me. I don't want to be scared like that again Shizuru, so please stay with me..."

"Natsuki..." Shizuru cried out, "I'll stay with my Natsuki as long as you want me by your side."

"I do!"

Silence except for the sound of sobbing women

Shizuru leaned her head and kissed Natsuki's head again and again

"I'm glad I didn't die there. While falling, I thought I saw my mother there at the bottom of the cliff. She has her arms open, she was in a motion of catching me. At first I was happy to see her, and to be in her arms again, even if I have to die right then and there. But then she was replaced by you, then I have to make a decision and I decided to live." Natsuki narrated. Shizuru was already sitting on the side of her bed and the older woman was caressing her hair tenderly, her clear hands were intertwined with Shizuru's, "I really love you Shizuru, I didn't say it out of desperation, I really do love you. I was just a coward to let fear get into me so I stop myself from saying it long ago. But my silence and indecision just made my fear come into reality, so from now on, I'll never let fear stop me from telling you and proving you how much I love you."

Silence

"Then I should have believed you then."

Natsuki smiled, "But you're justified as to why you can't believe me that time. What's important is...do you believe me now?" Natsuki stretched her neck up to see Shizuru who nodded her head

"From now on, I'll believe whatever Natsuki says."

Silence

"If you're here and you were not my imagination, then I saw two of you." Natsuki frowned, "There were two of you earlier."

"Ara, I did say I'll believe Natsuki's words, but that one I can't believe."

"But I really saw two of you while I was being put in here!" Natsuki insisted

"Then you really must be hallucinating that time,"

"Shizuru!" Natsuki shouted and winced as her abdominal muscles was stretched due to the exertion

"Ara, we don't want Natsuki's wound to dehisce now aren't we?"

"But I still saw two Shizurus."

"No you don't, there's only one Shizuru in the Fujino family, but there is one Shizuka who's excited to meet you."

"Shizuka?"

Natsuki's hairs rose up after seeing Shizuru's grin

-end-

Okay...I told you I don't do angsty! So here. I hope it's not too long but do hope the story is good enough to be likened by mint-san. Arigato everyone.


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